The most helpful favourable review

The most helpful critical review

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 starsWhat is this that stands before me?
I have been a little slow picking up my Sabbath deluxe editions. Finally got this one for Christmas. What can I say? It was worth the wait. The most iconic metal album of all time has been given the deluxe edition treatment, and deservedly so.

First of all, before I talk about the music, this edition just looks beautiful in its digipack. The scariest most...

3.0 out of 5 starsIts Welcome Is Long Worn Out - But...
Contrary to no few other reviews hung up here, Black Sabbath didn't invent heavy metal. (You can choose among whom to divide the honour, though the midperiod Yardbirds, the Blue Cheer of "Vincebus Eruptum" and "Outsideinside" - the latter album's "Gypsy Ball," sonically, is all but a signpost to Black Sabbath's sound - and the earliest Led...

Black Sabbath (1970.) Black Sabbath's first album.In the late sixties, rock artists were beginning to discover a new style of music - heavy metal. Unfortunately, like rock and roll as a whole, metal was resented by many at first. Fortunately, thanks to four young lads from Birmingham, the style would be popularized. Though originally a blues rock cover band, the quartet of Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward would start a rock and roll revolution. They changed their name to Black Sabbath, after a horror film they saw an ad for one day, and began shelling out classic hard rock and heavy metal. How does the band's debut album measure up? Read on, and you shall see.The first thing I need to state is that the sound quality isn't as good on this album as it would be on future Black Sabbath albums (this is due to the conditions under which it was recorded. The band kicks things off with Black Sabbath (the song.) This is very slow, gloomy, and heavy material - the PERFECT way to start a quintessential heavy metal album. Probably the most popular track to emerge from this release was the second track - The Wizard. This is hard rock, but Ozzy plays the harmonica and adds a nice, bluesy sound. It's my favorite song on the album, too. Behind The Wall Of Sleep and N.I.B. are solid rockers that have more than stood the test of time. The final tracks on the album are nothing special (they seem like fillers compared to the other tracks), hence the rating of only four and a half stars for the album, but they are still good tracks.On this import version of the album, the tracks aren't fused together as ultra-long medleys like they are on Warner's American pressing - you can skip right to what you want to listen to! The medley styling on the American version really pissed me off (I got sick of having to rewind and/or fast forward just to hear N.I.B.!) Another advantage to this import pressing is that Evil Woman (NOT the E.L.O. song), a track left off from the American pressing due to legal reasons, can be found here!Black Sabbath's debut is classic hard rock/heavy metal that stands the test of time - and with good reason. It's not quite the masterpiece that the follow-up (Paranoid) would be, but still a quintessential piece of metal nonetheless. I have to recommend getting this import edition over the domestic one, due to all the reasons I listed at the bottom of the paragraph above. This album is highly recommended to fans of hard rock, heavy metal, and/or classic rock.

Believe it or not even a place like India where bhangra prevails Black Sabbath still manages to have to have faithful followers. This was the first album i ever got and i went crazy over it. Except it dont sound like Ozzman on a lot of tracks. This album is a classic and anyone who doesn't pay homage to the GODFATHERS OF HEAVY METAL reaally dont know wat metal is, by saying METALLICA created metal. Nope they din't. They're a great band as well but SABBATH are the reason for them being in Metalmania, REALLY! And if METALLICA dint exist then LINKIN PARK ( WHO I DESPISE FOR THEIR GEEK METAL ) wuldn't exist either. So lets just STAND UP AND SHOUT SABBATH LIVES FOREVER AND EVER! and buy this album cos it rulzHeres my very own rhyme on Sabbath's impact-The world just got darker The fire lost its sparker Walpurgis and the witches Headbang and leave your riches Buy this album and hear the best And put your ears to their test Sabbath are the metal GODS They beat all the odds Rising from Birmingham To singing for Buckingham Sabbath lives forever Never say die Cos its a LIE! All you will hear

Ok, first of all I want to say that I am a complete sab head and dedicated fan of the band. I'm not only an Ozzy era liker, but it is my favorite (the dio era is the only one that comes close to these guys). Ok, now to the review.1. Black Sabbath-1 of the best songs Sabbath ever made and the perfect song to start of the album that would change music history.5/52. The Wizard-blues based riffs and cool harmonica playing by the Ozzman. 5/53.Wasp/Behind the Wall of Sleep/Bassically/N.I.B- my favorite moment on the whole album. People say that the songs running together mess them up but I say that that's what makes these songs cool. Wasp/Behind the Wall of Sleep is a great riff and Iommi showcases his knack for writing songs in these. Bassically is an awesome bass solo (my band plays these songs with Bassically included). Now, the best song on the whole album, N.I.B. This song is one of Sabbath's best riffs through their whole career. Definately not to be missed.5/54. Wicked World- not the best but still good. Live version on Live at Last is better 3/55. Sleeping Village/A Bit of Finger/The Warning- ok song compilation thingy. Solo is a bit to long in the Warning but it all comes together nicely. 4/5Well hope this review helps anybody out who wants the album.Sabbath Rulez.

Contrary to no few other reviews hung up here, Black Sabbath didn't invent heavy metal. (You can choose among whom to divide the honour, though the midperiod Yardbirds, the Blue Cheer of "Vincebus Eruptum" and "Outsideinside" - the latter album's "Gypsy Ball," sonically, is all but a signpost to Black Sabbath's sound - and the earliest Led Zeppelin.) But they certainly tried to bring the doom, gloom, and ersatz Satanism up front and in your face. (On the other hand, if you don't think Blue Cheer was capable of delivering the goods on evil, you sure didn't listen to "Doctor, Please"...) Thirty-three years after their eponymous debut was let loose, the album seems too much more excess than success, though it doesn't lack for periodically engaging moments.Probably the best song of the bunch is "WASP/Behind The Wall of Sleep," in which for once Black Sabbath keep the B.S. down to a dull roar and just get down to playing the song, pounding the song, and keeping rein enough on guitarist Tony Iommi's early penchant for not knowing when to knock it the hell off. On the other hand, for all that were still trying in those days to out-Cream the recently-decommissioned and much-beloved Cream, few enough had the chutzpah to turn a piece of the "Sunshine of Your Love" riff into something as grungy and as downright silly as "N.I.B." The only thing "The Wizard" really does is prove that, for Ozzy Osbourne as a harmonica player, Sonny Boy Williamson he ain't. And the next time anyone complains to you about someone else's metallic excesses of excess, just give them a gander at "Warning," in which a pleasant enough blues cover (never mind that this band wouldn't really know the blues if it bit them in the sternum) is surrounded by one so-so and one unlistenably long exercise in just why it was that long, show-the-chops guitar solos (with or without accompaniment) became almost entirely discredited in musical terms for a long enough time.Buy the premise, buy the album. In 1970, it sounded over the edge; in 2003, it sounds like its welcome is long worn out. OK, the title track was pretty fly for its intentions (though I think they should have kept the church chime in for the second verse, myself) and "Wicked World" isn't that terrible. But "WASP/Behind The Wall of Sleep" especially proved this band was capable of a little bit better. With just about all of "Paranoid," most of "Volume 4," half of "Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath," and two cuts of "Sabotage" (especially "The Thrill of It All," they delivered it.

The idea to make this kind of music, heavy metal, started from the idea that if there's scary films, why not also scary music. This album was made against satanism but it was understood wrong as Ozzy says in "Past Lives" album. Well, the tracks are all very sad and this was the first doom metak album.1. Black Sabbath - the title track is slow but very heavy. It starts with bells. The lyrics are about Satan who is coming near. This is one of the greatest moments of heavy metal. 5/52. The Wizard - this is a classic track, released also in "Paranoid" single. Good superstitious track! 5/53. Behind The Wall Of Sleep - very doomy, good lyrics 5/54. N.I.B. - interesting bass sound, good satanic lyrics. This is the famous track: "My Name Is Lucifer, Please Take My Hand". 5/55. Evil Woman - a single track, good lyrics 4.75/56. Sleeping Village - in the beginning Ozzy sings but mainly this is instrumental, very creepy 4.75/57. The Warning - too long but still very good song 4.5/58. Wicked World - released as a B-side of "Evil Woman", the doomiest track in this album apart from the title track. 5/5

If you buy this album because you want a great metal album you might end up disappointed; the genre has come a long way since this piece was released. However, make no mistake, these tracks stand on their own as fabulous contributions to the legacy of Rock and Roll. "Black Sabbath" is a bluesy album that starts out slow and haunting and ends in a blazing fire. In between, the band carries you through both instrumental masterpiece and poignant verse. Ozzy's tales of death and damnation are framed perfectly by the scorching 60's fuzz solos and some of the best rhythm recordings of the era.This album isn't cited as an influence by so many metal artists because they turned it up and said "that sounds like heavy metal!" Instead, the album holds the importance that it does because it simply captivates you as a listener and rocks you hard. No effort was made for three chords or truth. Instead, form and function were replaced with heart and soul, and this effort bleeds through epic tracks with lengthy instrumental sections and harrowing thoughts. If this is what you look for in an album, and you are able to appreciate an album with this age, pick it up.

Some people say that either Steppenwolf or Blue Cheer started the heavy metal genre but I disagree cause they don't write songs about dark and evil, it was Black Sabbath that started it all, Black Sabbath was formed by four young men who changed their name from Polka Tulk to Earth and back then they were just a blues band and finally one day guitarist Tony Iommi tells his bandmates that they should write scary music and they changed their name to BLACK SABBATH, believe it or not this album actually took only 3 days to record and it was recorded for only about 600 pounds (English money which is about $2000 in the U.S.) and their classic followup Paranoid took only 5 days to record which was Black Sabbath's masterpiece.Black SabbathOnce when you pop in this CD or cassette, you're gonna be riding on a trip to darkness listening to this song and it's an all-time classic, so much a classic that if it hadn't been for Black Sabbath, half of those metal bands wouldn't be here today and we owe the heavy metal genre to Black Sabbath, also it's a rare thing that an album can be both self-titled and a title track, one of Black Sabbath's best. 10/10The WizardThis is only one of two times that singer Ozzy Osbourne gets to play the harmonica with Black Sabbath (he also played harmonica on Swingin' the Chain which was a closing track for Never Say Die, Ozzy's last studio album with Black Sabbath) and this is one of Black Sabbath's most bluesiest songs, not quite a classic but it's a very good song. 8/10Behind the Wall of Sleep/Wasp/N.I.B.What you got is 3 songs melded into 1 and each of them are killer classics, especially N.I.B., N.I.B. was so good that Primus covered the song with Ozzy as the guest vocalist, this CD is worth it for this song alone, and too bad Sabbath would never be the same after Sabotage. 10/10Wicked WorldThis song kind of reminds me of the Vietnam War and the world can be a real wicked place once we get into bad situations like we were with Osama Bin Laden or Saddam Hussein and while it may not be a classic, it's another great song by the young lads out of Birmingham. 9/10Bassically/Sleeping Village/A Bit of Finger/WarningThis is Black Sabbath's longest song of all time clocking in at over 14 minutes, while some parts of the song get a bit slow, the killer parts are worth the wait, and believe it or not, Warning actually wasn't composed by Black Sabbath, it was actually a remake like Evil Woman (not E.L.O.'s version) which was done by Crow who scored a hit with the song and Evil Woman is only available on the U.K. version unfortunately. 9.5/10If you're a casual or a hardcore Black Sabbath fan, then their debut album is a perfect place to your music collection, while it isn't quite a masterpiece as Paranoid, it's pretty damn close and your Black Sabbath collection isn't complete without this album, also recommended are Master of Reality, Volume 4 and Sabotage, and smile everytime that you look into your Sabbath collection.

Even though this might not be Sabbath's "best" album, by being the first and introducing the world to a whole new realm of sound and imagery, it remains a must-own classic for anyone that has even the slightest interest in Rock/Heavy Metal. Every sub-genre of Metal has its roots right here. From Goth's melancholy, to Doom Metal's slow pace and eerie atmospheres, to flat out Thrash/Speed Metal - the seeds are on Black Sabbath. The Hippies are dancing around singing about peace and free love, and there goes Sabbath with ther ominous darkness to crush them all. Like them or not, they are true innovators. I once read something about Tony Iommy literally going to amp manufacturers in the mid to late 60's, and telling them about the sound he heard in his head, so that they could modify the amps to get it, BECAUSE THAT SOUND DID NOT EXIST YET! Imagine that! I got goosebumps reading that. That is a true visionary. I will only say one more thing: This album is the defining moment of a band that changed music forever. Hail the Masters of Metal!

In the late 1960's, the cover band Earth was formed with members John "Ozzy" Osbourne on lead vocals, Terence "Geezer" Butler on bass, William "Bill" Ward on drums, and Anthony "Tony" Iommi on guitar. Unfortunately, they found little success in their exploits. That is, until, they began experimenting with new sounds. They played heavier, faster, and gloomier than anyone had ever played before. They ditched the name "Earth" and became "Black Sabbath", a name that has now become synonomous with heavy metal. How does the quartet's debut album measure up? Let's see.1. Black Sabbath: Very dark, slow, and gloomy. Who could ask for anything more? A+2. Wizard: Hard and heavy rocker with blues elements thrown in. Yep, that's the Ozzman playing the harmonica. A+3. Wasp/Behind the Wall of Sleep/Bassically/N.I.B. Four part track. Wasp is mostly just Tony Iommi playing the guitar (and doing a damn good job of it). Behind The Wall Of Sleep is a somewhat melodic hard rocker using an interesting two-track vocal technique (listen to it with headphones and you'll see what I mean. Bassically spelled with two S letters should tell you that it is a bass solo. And of course, there's the hard and heavy rocking sounds of NIB, the Sabbath classic. My only complaint is the medley styling. Having the tracks separated would be a major covenience. A+4. Wicked World: Fairly generic hard rocker. Not terrible but a weakness in the album. C5. Bit of Finger/Sleeping Village/Warning: Basically a generic rocking track, with an unbearably long length. Once again the medley styling is a problem. C-The first three tracks are masterpieces, but the last two are nothing special. The medley styling on tracks 3 and 5 is a problem too. Also, the sound quality is less than stellar in many areas (it took only 12 hours to make this album, in an abandoned warehouse.) Still, the good outweighs the bad by far. Metal fans, regardless of who you are, this album is worth the purchase.

Like the "One Ring" in JRR Tolkien's book series, Black Sabbath is almost eternal it seems. It is difficult to choose a single "best" Black Sabbath CD. But the beginning is a good place to start.PARANOID: essential. no Rock Collection is truly complete without it.MASTER OF REALITY: excellent. If you liked 'Paranoid', you won't think your collection is complete without it.VOLUME 4: same as Master of Reality.And so on, througn "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath", "Sabotage", "Technical Ecstacy", and even the jazzy "Never Say Die". After Ozzy Osbourne left, the band was never the same. Except for "Heaven and Hell", they never put out a really good album of material again.Which brings us back to this CD. Suffice to say that for all intents and purposes, grunge, metal and goth as we know it were all invented here. Everything that has followed has been an improvement, refinement, or a re-run of the material found on the early Black Sabbath albums. So in popular music, Black Sabbath are the Masters of Reality:Just as progressive bands are compared to ''Led Zeppelin'' or ''Pink Floyd'', and any band that features acoustic sounds is inevitably paired with ''The grateful Dead'', good rock bands are inevitably compared to Black Sabbath if they do heavy rock, gothic music, or 'metal'.But Black Sabbath is not about high art: they are (or were) about power and performance. Even though this recording dates from 1969, which is normally associated with hippies and flower power, it echoes as powerfully as anything recorded since then. Black Sabbath has been blamed for a lot of things that they had nothing to do with (alleged Satanism, etc.). But if this is the one band that rules them all, then there are legions of fans waiting to be bound in the darkness ("... And In THe Darkness Bind Them..."). or so it appears.So I recommend all of the Ozzy-era Sabbath CD's, starting with this. As for the post Ozzy Sabbath CD's, only "Heaven and Hell" is really worth a second listen.